Erin had an appointment today with an occupational therapist at Children’s about a helmet. Ugh…I am so disgusted with the choices. They were the same helmets I’ve seen in other medical cataloges. 
I was really hoping to see something new. It was obvious that I wasn’t happy with the selection. The OT said I could try going to the department store and buying a bike helmet. Erin deserves to have protective head gear and if insurance was going to cover a helmet, I wasn’t about to leave without ordering one.
On IFOPA.org there is a page that discusses what type of daily living aids are recommended. There is a hard shell helmet that has a clear bar in front to protect the jaw. 
Great feature…but try putting that on Erin…no way. I wanted a soft shell helmet with a lip along the brow line. The next best thing was a halo helmet. It’s open on top but protects the crown. I picked it because the company said they could add more foam to the front to protect the forehead (her helmet is going to be pink and not that awful tan). Instead of 5/8″ foam we are requesting 1″. 
Miranda (3 year old FOP girl who lives in Vancouver BC seen in picture to the right) wears a neoprene halo helmet of sorts. It looks so much better than the foam helmet and it does the job! Miranda’s was custom made by her OT. I am going to order the supplies and hopefully I can create one just like Miranda’s. Why do the helmets have to be unattractive?? We’re doing the right thing by getting her one to protect her head but we have to get her to wear it! If I went with the full coverage helmet, we could have bought lyrca covers to put over the helmet. Still…if there are stylish bike helmets and motorcycle helmets, I could only hope someone would design a stylish protective helmet that a child would wear without pitching a fit.
I HAVE TO WEAR ONE TO